Gideon58's Reviews

WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED?
Despite an overly complex story and some dated plot elements, the 1963 comedy Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is worth a peek for its terrific cast of once and future stars.

The film stars Dean Martin as Jason Steel, an actor and confirmed bachelor who plays a doctor on a television show and is engaged to a pretty art teacher named Melissa (Elizabeth Montgomery). Despite what seems to be a picture perfect life, Jason is discontent and restless because he's tired of the perfect character he's playing on television and apprehensive about committing his life to one woman. His fears about marriage materialize as it's revealed that the wives of the members of his weekly poker group think Jason is the character he plays on TV and find the man in Jason that they can't find in their own marriages.

Jack Rose's screenplay purports to be a sophisticated battle of the sexes, but a lot of the ideas presented here are a little antiquated in 2017. It was disconcerting seeing the Jason character symbolically kicking Melissa in the teeth over and over again and then watching him acting injured when she starts fighting back. Female movie characters in this century would not put up with half the crap that Melissa puts up with from Jason here. Daniel Mann, who directed classics from the 50's like Come Back Little Sheba and I'll Cry Tomorrow, provides breezy direction that could have been a little more economic in terms of storytelling but works in terms of character presentation.

A wonderful cast helped to elevate the film above the dated story. Martin is fun as Jason and Montgomery makes a charming leading lady. Montgomery might have become a major movie actress of the 60's if she hadn't signed to play Samantha in the ABC sitcom Bewitched a couple of years later. Future comedy icon Carol Burnett is a total scene stealer as Melissa's best friend and provides the funniest scene in the movie, where she does a striptease in front of a bunch of drunken Mexicans. Martin Balsam, Elliott Reid, Jack Soo, and Louis Nye offer great comic bits along the way as does a delicious Jill St. John as Nye's second wife.

The film also features first rate set decorations, some stylish Edith Head costuming for Montgomery and a snappy music score by George Duning. It goes on a little too long, but it's worth a look, especially for fans of Martin and Burnett.

The Michael Crawford version of "Barnum" is on YouTube:

I Love Melvin
Fresh off their triumph in the classic musical Singin the Rain, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds were reunited for an insignificant piece of MGM fluff called I Love Melvin that did nothing to tarnish the image of the Gene Kelly classic.

O'Connor plays Melvin Hooper, a photographer's assistant at LOOK magazine who uses his press pass to appear as he has a lot more juice at the magazine than he actually has and during his first scene at the magazine, it's revealed that no one on the editorial staff even knows who he is. Melvin meets Judy Schneider (Reynolds), a bouncy New York chorus girl who has adopted the stage name Judy LeRoy and is appearing in a Broadway show called "Quarterback Kelly" where she plays a human football. Melvin is immediately smitten with Judy and begins an elaborate ruse to make Judy believe he can get her on the cover of the magazine.

The recent passing of Debbie Reynolds prompted a re-watch of this film, which was near the bottom of my list of worst musicals ever made and I think I placed it pretty accurately on that list. It's certainly not the worst musical ever made but the dated screenplay by George Wells and Ruth Brooks Flippen made this film pretty rough going. The whole idea of Judy being willing to give up her role in a Broadway show because she thinks she's going to be on the cover of a magazine is just as silly as the LOOK editorial staff revealing that they would NEVER put a woman on the cover.

The film features some entertaining and elaborate musical numbers. The opening number "A Lady Loves" finds Debbie being danced around tuxedo-clad dancers who disguise the fact that Debbie is being danced around. The "meet cute" duet that introduces the two leads to each other "We Have Never Met" is kind of cute. O'Connor actually gets to do a number on roller skates and an elaborate production number called "I Wanna Wonder" which was supposed to enchant us the way "Make em Laugh" did, but it just goes on too long. Donald and Debbie also have a cute dance duet called "Where did you Learn to Dance."

MGM did pour a little money into this production. Some scenes appeared to be actually filmed in Manhattan and the accustomed MGM gloss is apparent and Richard Anderson, Allyn Joslyn, Una Merkel, and Jim Backus offer solid support in thankless roles, but it's mostly for naught. But Donald O'Connor is always worth watching and he alone makes this one worth a look.

I love both Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and I'll watch just about anything with either of them in it, but I agree that I Love Melvin was only okay.

Did I Love Melvin have a musical number with Donald O'Connor dancing on a table in a restaurant's kitchen?

No

Nobody's Fool (1994)
Paul Newman's brilliant Oscar-nominated performance is at the center of Nobody's Fool, a 1994 character study rich with colorful supporting characters who appropriately serve the story.

Set in the fictional town of North Bath, New York, Newman plays Scully, a construction worker well past retirement age who has injured his knee and pinned all his hopes on the workmen's comp claim that was recently denied. This puts him at odds with his former boss (Bruce Willis) and moves Sully's relationship with his wife (Melanie Griffith) to another level. Sully is also trying to deal with a meddlesome landlady (Jessica Tandy) and the grown son (Dylan Walsh) with whom he is trying to make up lost time.

Director and screenwriter Robert Benton (Kramer VS Kramer) based his screenplay on a novel by Richard Russo and really scored in his mounting of this flawed and fascinating central character. We're shocked as we watch Sully decide that stealing his ex-boss' snow blower is justified because he didn't get workmen's comp. We are shocked when it's revealed that Sully deserted his son when he was a year old and feels no regret about it. We're shocked by Sully's lack of respect for the law, evidenced in his physical assault of a cop, but you know when all of this becomes irrelevant? When we see Sully spending time with his grandson. Every moment Sully has onscreen with his grandson is golden and makes you forget some of his questionable behavior throughout the rest of the film.

Benton's story is mounted in the form of individual vignettes, little chapters in Sully's life and how they don't always gel the way Sully might like. Benton also scored casting Newman in the starring role...a dazzling performance that gives this film a substance that would not be there with a lesser actor playing this role.

Willis is fun as the cocky boss as are Griffith as his lonely wife and Tandy as his persnickety landlady. Josef Summer, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Gene Saks round out the supporting cast and a shout out has to be given to Howard Shore's music, but the real success of this human and moving drama is due to the professionalism of Robert Benton behind the camera and Paul Newman in front of it.

Wonder Woman
The most famous comic book heroine is given the big budget treatment in 2017's Wonder Woman, a lavish cinematic adventure that takes too long to get going and a story that seems like a very long commercial regarding feminism and the absurdity of war.

The film introduces us to young Diana, an Amazon princess who lives on an island populated by female warriors who are training Diana to follow in their footsteps. We watch Diana embrace her destiny when her mother is killed and she rescues a World War II pilot named Steve Trevor from drowning, who she decides is her key to finding Ares, the God of War, in order to stop all fighting everywhere.

Screenwriters Alan Heinberg and Zack Snyder have put a lot of work into opening up the story of Diana Prince, giving it an identity that doesn't even resemble the 70's TV series with Lynda Carter, but there is message about the superiority of women as a race that is delivered with sledgehammer-like intensity, which is juxtaposed with Diana's encounters with the Germans and how they only deserve destruction and how she is the only one to do it. We are told more than once that these "men of the earth" don't deserve Diana. The story presents Diana as being passionate about her mission to finding Ares, but compromised as well when she is really exposed to the ugliness of WWII.

Unfortunately, between the exposition on Diana's island and her complete command of WWII, there are a lot of fish-out-of-water elements thrown into the story that offer mild amusement but really just slow the film down. The scenes of Diana learning about sex and romance through her reluctant tutor Steve Trevor just delay what we, as viewers, are really waiting for...to see Diana kick ass with those golden wrist bands and that awesome lariat.

Director Patty Jenkins has taken on a mammoth assignment here and was clearly given an unlimited budget, but this story definitely could have used some tightening and a little more respect to the central character and what fans of the genre expect to see. We are actually more than halfway through the film before we see Diana in her Wonder Woman costume for the first time. I don't know why this bothered me, but it did.

Despite all the problems with Diana trying to outdo Steve Trevor at every turn, I did enjoy the relationship between the characters once the story allowed them to lighten up a bit, but then what action fans expect took over and the film starts to slip into conventionality, but it's never boring.

Gal Gadot brings sincerity to the title role, though I might have cast someone more physically intimidating in the role, I mean she is an Amazon princess. Chris Pine brings a little sexy to Captain Steve and the film scores big on production values, with special nods to film editing, art direction, and sound, but the whole thing just takes too long to get going and once it does, it delivers what fans expect.

I should revisit this. Thanks for a great review!

I haven't seen this but are you saying that Wonder Woman fought in WWII according to this movie? I don't know if I can take such a movie like this, and if it's reverse sexism to the hilt, I'm all set.

That's exactly what this movie tells us.

Thanks for the warning!

I seen Nobody's Fool (1994) I agree with your rating, I really liked it too. Wonder Woman doesn't sound like something I'd be interested in.

Stolen Hours
A lovely performance from Susan Hayward does make the 1963 melodrama Stolen Hours worth a look.

Hayward plays Laura, a wealthy, twice-divorced party girl who is deep denial about the blinding headaches and blurry vision she has been having. Laura refuses to talk to anyone about her health issues and she just doesn't show up when concerned friends make doctors' appointments for her. Finally a friend persuades a doctor to attend a party at Laura's mansion and perform an examination without letting Laura know that's what he's doing. The ruse is partially successful and the doctor does manage to get Laura to agree to surgery but falls in love with her in the process.

If this story sounds familiar, it's because this film is a remake of the 1939 classic Dark Victory starring Bette Davis, but Jessamyn West's screenplay telegraphs all its cards right away. We weren't informed of Davis' condition as quickly in the 1939 film as we were here. We are given the whole story in about ten minutes of running time and the viewer has to wonder what is going to happen for the other 90 minutes of movie.

What we have is a slightly overwrought melodrama thanks to Daniel Petrie's rather pedestrian direction which almost completely overshadows what a powerhouse actress Susan Hayward is and makes you want to wade through the muck that is this movie because Hayward almost makes the wade worthwhile.

The film is a British-American collaboration which I assume had something to do with the big budget that was afforded this remake. Handsome production values, including some striking cinematography and a lush musical score, help but this one is a tough one because as a remake, it owes respect to the original but should bring something new to the table as well, but, sadly, does not accomplish the latter. For hardcore Hayward fans only.

12 Angry Men (1957)
My undying respect for the talent of the late Sidney Lumet as one of the best directors in the business has once again been documented with my first viewing of the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men,a compelling and intense look at the justice system that looks at the pursuit of justice from a new (for 1957) cinematic angle that works thanks primarily to Lumet's ability to tell a story with his camera.

The film opens with 12 jurors being given instructions from the judge before they retire for deliberations to determine whether an 18 year old boy murdered his father. The men retire to the air-deprived jury room and the jury foreman (Martin Balsam) decides to take a vote to see if they can wrap this up quickly but is dumbfounded when all of the jurors vote guilty except one (Henry Fonda).

Screenwriter Reginald Rose has written what appears to be a simplistic story on the surface and the fact that Henry Fonda is playing the lone juror, we pretty much know what's going to happen, even knowing that the jurors have been instructed that their verdict must be unanimous and if the boy is found guilty, he is going to the electric chair. We think we know exactly what's going to happen in that jury room and very little of this story played out the way I expected it to and, boy, what a pleasure that was.

The first clue we have as to what is going on actually comes from Lumet, not Rose or the other actors. As the jurors retire for deliberations, Lumet does a brilliant close up of the defendant...still sitting in the courtroom, his wide-eyes welling up with water. This shot alone tells us that the boy is innocent, but the journey to the jury figuring that out is so perplexing and funny and aggravating and we begin to believe that there is no way a unanimous verdict can be achieved. After the first vote, Fonda's character, Juror No. 8, is asked why he thinks the boy isn't guilty and he replies that he's not sure that he's guilty, but he's not sure he's not guilty, we know this story is not going to go an easy or predictable route.

There are universal themes addressed in this story that were quite bold for the time. There is one juror who cannot get past the fact that the defendant is not white and continually uses phrases like "those people" and bases his vote on his bigotry. The film reminds us of the importance of jury duty, something millions of people spend a lot of trouble trying to get out of. Juror No. 7 (Jack Warden) is only voting guilty because he has tickets for a ball game in a few hours. I loved that the primary reason No. 8 wanted to make sure he was right was because this boy's life hung in the balance.

I also loved the way Lumet used his camera to quietly foreshadow Fonda's mission in getting these men to consider reasonable doubt. It was fun trying to guess who would be the next juror to fall under No. 8's spell and it was fun watching the camera leading us to who that was going to be.

Lumet's direction is atmospheric as always...few directors can provide an atmosphere of sweaty claustrophobia the way Lumet can and, as always, has gotten powerhouse performances from his cast, with standout work from Fonda, Balsam, Warden, Ed Begley, Jack Klugman, and especially the amazing Lee J. Cobb. I still say Network is Lumet's masterpiece, but this is definitely second. The film was remade for television in 1997 but it was but a pale imitation of this. A master class in the art of film direction.

I'm surprised that you hadn't seen 12 Angry Men before now, but I'm glad that you liked it so much. It's one of my all-time favorite movies.

So glad you final watched 12 Angry Men Gideon. That was a well written review, and a joy to read. Most everyone loves that movie, but not me! I won't go into detail why, but I did review it if you're interested in reading it.

BTW, Congratulations on reaching 900 reviews!

Girls Trip
In the tradition of classic film comedies like Animal House and Bachelor Party comes a gender reversal of those films called Girls Trip, an expensive comic romp that delivers some solid laughs, despite some cliched writing and general over indulgence.

The 2017 comedy follows four high school girlfriends, who were known as the Flossy Posse, who reunite a couple of decades later to attend the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Ryan (Regina Hall) is a famous relationship expert/author who is denial about her cheating husband (Mike Colter); Sasha (Queen Latifah) is a gossip blogger whose business is fading and is quietly going broke; Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is an unemployed party girl and Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a single mother of two who hasn't had sex in years. As expected, upon arrival in New Orleans, the usual bawdy adventures and eventual personal confrontations scratch their way to this well worn cinematic surface.

Screenwriters Erica Rivinoja and Kenya Barris have brought us the classic buddy movie except that the buddies Involved are African American females who speak with little or no filter and treat men like meat and you know what? In this day and age, it's acceptable to see men objectified for a change, even though most of the male characters in the movie don't have a brain in their head and the ones that do are shoved in the background.

Director Malcolm Lee was definitely given a healthy budget for this one...the film features authentic New Orleans locations and a shout out should go to Paul Hillspaugh's editing , but a big budget doesn't necessarily mean a movie has to go on forever. I wish Lee had spent a little more time looking at the screenplay and finding about 25 minutes of this movie to cut.

Don't get me wrong, this movie brings the funny, but it just needed a little tightening. Regina Hall works hard at being convincing as a New Millenium Oprah and Tiffany Haddish steals every scene she is in as Dina. There is a plethora of cameo appearances including Larenz Tate, Morris Chestnut, Bobby BrOwn, Ne-Yo, Terry McMillan, Michael Blivens, P. Diddy, and Johnny Gill. Despite the expected lapses into melodrama in the final act, the movie does provide laughs, but it just goes on too long.

Barbra: The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!
As the legendary Barbra Streisand approaches her 75th birthday, I was thrilled that I was able to view her latest concert experience before her birthday in April. This 2017 concert documents why this consummate artist continues to pack venues after 50 years in the business and if you're a Streisand-hater, stop reading now.

It started back in 1984 when Streisand agreed to do a fund raising concert in her own backyard called One Voice for nuclear disarmament. It would be the first time that Streisand would sing in public in 20 years. She charged $5000 a ticket and everyone who is anyone in Hollywood showed up and it eventually wound up on HBO. Since then, Barbra has been getting her act together and taking it on the road for almost three decades now, filling venues everywhere and proving that there still is an audience out there that adores this woman.

I have to admit that there was a dash of bittersweet that swept over me as I watched this concert. It's taken me awhile to reconcile myself to the fact that the singularly unique instrument that is the voice of Barbra Streisand, is not what it used to be and that's OK. What I've come to understand after watching One Voice and this concert, is that Streisand is aware of this as well and has adapted her choice of concert material to reflect that. Some of the vocal acrobatics that Barbra used to thrill us with are no longer possible, but she knows this and it has forced her to redefine herself as an artist and seek out music that she is still vocally capable of but still brings her audience exactly what they want to hear.

What I loved about this particular concert is that because she can't sing the way she used to, this concert found Barbra digging out some underrated gems from the past that she hasn't performed in a LONG time, like "Everything" from A Star is Born and "Isn't this Better?" from Funny Lady that might not be as theatrically exciting as some of the songs we expect from Barbra, but were equally effective, because Barbra makes each song a performance, like no other artist. I also continue to be impressed by the fact that, no matter how many times Barbra has sung some of these songs, she never performs a song the same way twice. Streisand also impresses with a surprise guest star and their choice of duet was even more surprising.

The film covers her arrival in Miami, offers some rehearsal footage and an overlong eulogy to her recently deceased dog Samantha. As always with concert films, we also get a lot of audience shots and with a Streisand concert, there are three things you are always going to see: Someone mouthing every word to every song, someone completely mesmerized, and someone wiping tears from their eyes. Yes, it's only for a specific fanbase, but if you love Barbra the way I do, celebrate her upcoming 75th birthday with this melodic and nostalgic musical feast.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
An unapologetic and unpredictable story, bold direction, and some powerhouse performances are the primary ingredients that make 2017's Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, a blistering cinematic rollercoaster that won four Golden Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture Drama.

Frances McDormand stars as Mildred Hayes, a woman whose daughter was brutally raped and murdered almost a year ago and has heard nothing from the Ebbing Police Department regarding her daughter's case in almost seven months. Feeling the police have forgotten about her daughter, Mildred lashes out by paying $5000 to rent out three billboards with a boldly painted message to the police, singling out Police Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), a hard-working officer who is dying of cancer.

Director and screenwriter Martin McDonough, who is responsible for one film I hated (In Bruges) and one I loved (Seven Psychopaths) has constructed a bold and singularly unique motion picture experience that's never quite sure if it wants to be a black comedy or a searing docudrama, but the one thing that this story guarantees is complete unpredictability...this story never went anywhere I thought it was going to go and therefore I was galvanized to the screen, either dropping my jaw or holding my breath, not to mention some pretty consistent laughs that I almost felt guilty about. It's been awhile since a movie ran roughshod with my emotions the way this one did.

In addition to its unpredictability, the other success of this story is making us understand and sympathize with every single character involved. Needless to say, we understand Mildred's feelings that the police have forgotten about her daughter, but we also understand the repercussions of these billboards and how they systematically tear the town apart. We are thrown surprise layers when we meet Mildred's ex-husband, who left her for a 19-year old and we have to wonder how much of her bitterness is rooted in that. Not to mention we get to meet Mildred's daughter in a flashback, a brief but telling scene that is as shocking and unpredictable as the rest of this emotionally raw story.

And even though we understand Mildred and her actions to a point, we also completely understand the consequences of her actions and how it affects the rest of Ebbing, especially Chief Willoughby and his family, his slightly dim but devoted officer, Jason (Sam Rockwell), and even Mildred's son, who is suffering for his mother's actions in ways that get past Mildred. There are a couple of small plot points that I had trouble reconciling, but to discuss them further would spoil this intricate story for those who haven't seen it. I will say these plot points did nothing to keep him from trying to untie the knots that my stomach was in or fighting the tears I fought. We keep waiting for answers that never come but we understand why and forgive.

McDonaugh's direction is in-your face and also has its own sense of unpredictability...there are shocking moments of violence on different levels that actually produced audible gasps from this reviewer. In addition to McDonaugh's screenplay, the film also won a Globe for Frances McDormand, brilliant as the ticking time bomb that is Mildred, a character impossible to predict or take your eyes off of. Sam Rockwell also won a Globe for his accustomed explosive and unhinged performance as the bigoted but sincere Jason and Harrelson does a real movie star turn as the police chief. Mention should also be made of Peter Dinklage as a friend of Jason, Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea) as Mildred's son, and Zeljko Ivanek as the desk sergeant.

The film features striking cinematography, editing, and a properly evocative music score. The Globes really got this one right and I hope McDormand and Rockwell are remembered at Oscar time. A motion picture experience that will leave you limp.